Greek Minority in Albania Complains against Power Outage

Greek
citizens of the Southern Albanian villages of Dropull (Gjirokastër
District), complained about the power outage blocking the
Gjirokastër-Kakavia Highway for almost an hour necessitating a police
intervention to free the circulation of the road linking Albania and
Greece.
Greek citizens were protesting against the “arbitrary and illegal
actions of the Czech electricity provider ‘CEZ’.” It’s the second time
there has been an unjustified, illegal power blackout in the region,
according to Greeks of Southern Albania, who claim they have been paying
their bills timely.
The Czech company representatives, on the other hand, claim the power
outage was imposed legally, because citizens of Dropull villlages have
not paid their bills.

Two more US carriers, dozens of mini-subs rushed to Hormuz

As Russia and NATO continued to boost their military strength in the eastern Mediterranean, debkafile's military sources report substantial US reinforcements, led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft
carrier, are being rushed to the Persian Gulf opposite Iran, with
dozens of unmanned underwater craft for destroying mines.
The USS John C. Stennis arrives in August, raising the number of American aircraft carriers in waters off Iran to four including the USS Enterprise and the USS Abraham Lincoln, with the French Charles de Gaulle due soon to make up a fifth.
The Eisenhower, which reached its new position in the first
week of July, operates under the joint commands of the US Sixth
(Mediterranean) and Fifth (Gulf) Fleets.
Thursday, July 12, American military officials announced that the US is
also dispatching to the Persian Gulf dozens of tiny, unmanned SeaFox
submersibles that can detect and destroy mines if strewn by Iran to
block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for transporting
one-fifth of the world’s oil.
About 4 feet long, they each carry an underwater television camera, homing sonar and an explosive charge.
There are now additionally eight American minesweepers in the Persian Gulf as well as the USS Ponce,
a platform for the special forces, helicopters and warships there to
fight off Iranian marine units attempting to plant mines in the vital
waterway.debkafile's
military sources say that Washington decided to expand its military
deployment in the area after concluding, in consultation with French and
British naval experts, that Iran is short of the military strength and
sophisticated measure for completely sealing off the Strait of Hormuz to
all sea traffic, especially oil tankers.
All the Iranians can do is plant enough underwater mines to impede traffic and slow it down.
The new, bolstered US deployment in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and
the Mediterranean is on the ready for immediate action against any
Iranian military threat. "If Iran starts spreading underwater mines in
international waterways, i.e., the Strait of Hormuz, it will find
American forces ready to dismantle them on the spot," said a Western
military source.
In any case, said the source, a slowdown of oil traffic through Hormuz
won’t have an immediate impact on the world oil market or prices. "The
world has enough reserve oil in storage to supply its needs for six full
months,” said the source.

A Georgian opposition deputy has accused the country's government of granting citizenship to around 25,000 Turks in a move to secure votes in coming elections.

Jondi Bagaturia of the Georgian Troupe said 25,000 Turks who were granted dual citizenship had the right to vote in the coming elections in Georgia due in October and believed they would vote for the ruling United National Movement party to "express their gratitude," according to a report by PanArmenian.net.

Bagaturia said the Turks who were granted Georgian citizenship were living in the country's Ajaria Autonomous Republic, which presented a risk that the region might break away in a "repetition of what happened in Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

According to Bagaturia, radical forces in Turkey claimed Ajaria was originally under Turkish rule and that Georgia occupied it 100 years ago. "These radical forces may come to power in Turkey during elections, and then we'll face the same thing that happened in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Bagaturia said, adding that Turkish troops could invade Ajaria under the pretext of protecting its citizens.

Ikonomu is against Omonia census. Omonia registration will fail and should not do. " With these words, former Greek Consul of Korca, Theodoros Ikonomu-Kamarinos, known for his strong statements in favor "Northern Epirus", has "shocked" Omonia organization leaders who are prepared to at July 24 start recording Greek minority in Albania.

Ikonomut statement was made few days ago in one of the radios "Northern Epirus" and immediately encountered severe attacks websites commentators who have called these statements unacceptable. While contacted by "Albanian newspaper", the head of Omonia, Vasil Bolanos has refused to comment on these statements. While the party's Secretary General MEGA, Lluci Ziso said that any initiative of the organization or association does not bring any solution to the problem, but the tangle it more.

"Shekulli Newspaper" 2007

Is Bolanos, close to Prime Minister Berisha, and simultaneously "great patriot who fights for Hellenism"?

Almost all NGOs operating in respect of human rights to property issues and ethnic issues, viewing with suspicion the president of Omonia, Vasil Bolanos. First because Bolanos, Albanian media is labeled as the man very close to Prime Minister Sali Berisha. Secondly, during the time that it was the duty of the President of the Municipality of Himara, Vasil Bolanos, is subject to pressures of Albanian Mafia, giving concessions and permits for construction hotels, persons connected with the policies of Tirana. Also the issue of destruction of Jali village in 2007 in collaboration with the Albanian Government and World Bank, implies more Vasil Bolanos, since many people, have not yet benefited from the destruction of houses.

As a result of these dubious relationship with the leadership of Albanian politics, today the Himara Region, is threatened by ethnic assimilation, of the charity that has served the "Patriot of Hellenism 'Vasil Bolanos, favoring invasion of the coastline, especially in Drymades, Porto Palermo and Jali and allowing, construction of a concession to the Albanian Mafia, on the public properties of the legitimate inhabitants of Himara.

more see: http://www.balkanweb.com/kryesore/1/censusi-ikonomu-kunder-censusit-te-omonia-s-95922.html

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Attack against journalist in Priština condemned

Source: B92

VIENNA -- An OSCE representative on Freedom of the
Media has condemned the physical assault in Priština against journalist
Halil Matoshi.

He
is a columnist with the Albanian language daily Koha Ditore, known for
his investigative reporting and criticism against politicians and public
officials.
“This attack could have proved fatal to the
journalist. I am glad that Halil Matoshi managed to fend off his
assailants,” OSCE's Dunja Mijatović said.

Matoshi was attacked on the evening of July 10 by three unidentified men when leaving a cultural event in Priština.

He managed to escape and was later treated in a hospital.

“Violence against journalists is an attack against free expression and
the society as a whole, and I strongly condemn all such acts," Mijatović
was quoted as saying in an OSCE statement.

SEEMO condemns incident

The
Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), an affiliate
of the International Press Institute (IPI), also condemned the
incident.

The organization said in its statement on Thursday
that Matoshi was attacked as he returned home. One of the aggressors
pulled out a knife but he managed to avoid serious injury.

The police said they were investigating the assault with the aim of identifying those responsible.

“I call on the police to find the perpetrators as soon as possible and
bring them to justice,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujović.

Albania Military Secret Service "SHIU" bought 400 thousand dollars, an apparatus, to intercept the opposition and foreign diplomats

An
Albanian private company, which specializes in trading of security
devices, has brokered the purchase of the surveillance apparatus to
rain-n in 2010. Sources
from the Ministry of Defence said that the Military Intelligence
Service has agreed that the Albanian company with a direct contract for
the purchase abroad of a bugging device type "CDMA Interceptor". Albanian
company that has taught previously offered its ability to provide
international markets with limited use equipment for other state
institutions, like the prosecution or the police.In this case the company has to purchase a U.S. partner company, which is called "VERINT Technologies". The
latter has several subsidiaries around the world and its Albanian
company has links with Israeli subsidiary company "VERINT". Tapping devices "CDMA interceptor" was purchased in Israel, it is even manufactured in Israel under the logo "VERINT". Equipment is part of the format of the mobile surveillance technology with limited range. This
device is basically a computer, which has installed a number of
programs that enable encryption and voice recording of telephone calls
within a radius of 300 meters.Equipment
is sealed in a bag and baggage are also part of two antennas, the entry
and exit which enable the capture of the selected phone signal and then
signal the release of this phone masts after mobile company to register
. Equipment
in question is also equipped with a program that enables decryption of
SMS sent or received by the phone of choice and under surveillance,
while also calls but also the message of registration and decryption is
done in real time and with a very high speed and data stored in the memory of the apparatus from which can then also be heard or read.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Pristina. NATO has postponed a planned troop reduction
in Kosovo as security in the Serb-dominated north remains "volatile",
its secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday, cited by the
AFP.
"We have, for the time being, postponed any decision to further reduce
the number of KFOR troops in Kosovo" he told reporters on a visit.
"As long as the security situation in the north is volatile as it is, we
have to maintain the current troop level... (of) 5,000 to 6,000
soldiers," he said during a visit to the breakaway territory.
Rasmussen was speaking at the end of a visit by NATO's governing body,
the North Atlantic Council, to assess the security situation in Kosovo.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is
recognised by around 90 countries, but not by by Serbia, which has been
encouraging some 120,000 local Serbs to defy the authorities in
Pristina.

Greece Pressed to Resume Austerity Program

— European officials signaled on Tuesday that Greece would have
to renew its austerity drive before its next bailout payment was
approved but expressed confidence that the country’s new government
would have the money to meet a debt payment due in August.

Multimedia

The guarded optimism came after a meeting of European finance ministers
at which Greece was told to come up with about 3 billion euros ($3.75
billion) in new savings “in the coming weeks” before its creditors
consider easing the terms of its bailout, the country’s new finance
minister said Tuesday.

“They are asking that we implement the measures we have committed to for
2012,” the finance minister, Yannis Stournaras, told reporters in
Brussels.

Mr. Stournaras said the government could suggest alternatives to the
measures it had agreed to, as long as the new proposals produced the
same result.

“We are considering the measures and we will push to be able to impose them in installments,” he added.

The Eurogroup — the finance ministers of the 17 nations using the euro
— on Monday night heard a preliminary debriefing from representatives
of the so-called troika, who returned to Athens last month after being
away for several weeks after the inconclusive elections in May.

The European Commission vice president, Olli Rehn, said the mission — which includes officials from the commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund — would return in 10 days or so for further work.

“In that context we will assess the real financing needs of Greece now,
in the short term,” as well as “various possibilities” for meeting them,
he said at a news conference on Tuesday. “I’m sure they will find a
solution to this problem, as we have in previous rounds.”

At an earlier news conference, the Eurogroup president, Jean-Claude
Juncker, said the ministers would discuss adjusting the terms of
Greece’s bailout program in September.

Asked about a 3.2 billion euro Greek bond held by the European Central
Bank that matures on Aug. 20, Mr. Juncker said “appropriate solutions”
would be found.

At the end of June, Greece received the final installment of 5.2 billion
euros in aid: 1 billion euros that had been withheld after the
country’s inconclusive election in May. The timing and amount of the
next delivery of aid from the 130 billion euro bailout agreed to early
this year will be determined in the coming weeks, a euro zone official
said.

Mr. Juncker said that Mr. Stournaras described the country’s current
situation during the meeting and gave “reassurances that the new Greek
government will take the steps necessary to bring the Greek program back
on track.”

Although Greece made no requests at the meeting, its government hopes to
win an extension of the deadlines for meeting its deficit-reduction
targets. Spain was granted an extension on Tuesday.

“When the time comes, the issue of an extension will be raised
persistently because it is only fair,” Mr. Stournaras said. He noted
that an extension would require additional outside money for Greece —
something the parliaments of some euro zone countries might be reluctant
to approve.

And the formation of a coalition Greek government — albeit a fragile one
— appears to have calmed the nerves of savers worried about political
instability.

According to bank officials, cash has been flowing back into accounts at
a steady pace since the June 17 elections, with 5 billion euros
returning within the last two weeks. About 4 billion to 5 billion euros
was withdrawn in the first two weeks of June.

“The banks lost deposits due to all the uncertainty, but fortunately
after the elections we saw the deposits returning and at quite a
satisfactory pace,” the central bank governor, Georgios A. Provopoulos,
told President Karolos Papoulias in televised comments in Athens.

Paul Geitner reported from Brussels, and Niki Kitsantonis from Athens.

One day before the expiration of the mandate, the Electoral Reform
Commission found the compromise for the consensual amends of the
Electoral Code.

The three remaining issues
were the usage of technology in elections, the way of taking evidence in
electoral boxes and the reformation of the Central Election Commission.

As
it happens usually with compromises, the variants that are proposed are
not 100% as each of the parties wanted them. But on a preliminary
evaluation, the opposition has taken more from the compromise.

The
first big success is the opportunity to use technology for 20% of the
territory. The majority has accepted this, despite the advice of the
ODIHR experts for not using technology before 2014, and not without a
pilot project in a low scale of usage.

This consensus predicts
that the identification appliance should be used during the voting
process in the entire Tirana District, the biggest in the country and
that brings 32 MPs to Parliament. While the electronic ballot count will
be used for the first time in Fier, the second biggest district in the
country that brings 16 MPs to Parliament. The second success of the
opposition s that they have been able to include in this process their
own concept for way how the Central Election Commission chairman will be
elected.

This is a new concept that allows the application of
every citizen who thinks that he fulfills the criteria for leading the
CEC. This application will be submitted at the Commission of Laws, the
only organism that gets involved in the procedures for electing the CEC
Chairman.

After receiving the applications, the Commission of
Laws identifies the candidates that enjoy the support of 2/3rd of the
members. If this will be impossible, the Commission of Laws will elect
four candidates that have had the biggest support, and only the
opposition has the right to eliminate two of them and the Parliament
will vote between the two others.

As for the third issue, the
opposition has ceded the concept that two members have the right to open
the ballot boxes each time that they find it appropriate. According to
the majority, this would destroy the elections and the parties decided
to define more specifically what is considered evidence and how it is
related with the facts.

The members will have the right to open
the boxes based only on this concept, by eliminating the opportunities
of abusing during the electoral process. THese changes will be approved
this afternoon at the Electoral Reform Commission, which will apparently
close its mandate with this big consensus, but without taking in
consideration the request of the small parties for correcting the
electoral system.

President’s statement “does not imply partition of Kosovo”

BELGRADE -- Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić’s
statement on Kosovo does not mean that he advocated the partition of
Kosovo, the president's office told daily Danas.

Tomislav Nikolić (Beta, file)

The Serbian president's office said that Nikolić insisted on “unity in every sense”.
The Serbian president said, among other things, that he “he will never again be president in Priština, but the president of the interim authorities in Priština will also never be president in Kosovska Mitrovica”.

The president’s office explained that Nikolić wanted the government to
be formed as soon as possible and to continue the dialogue with Priština
but that an agreement of all relevant political factors in Serbia that
would be confirmed by parliament needed to be reached first.

Nikolić’s office stressed that “no individual, not even the president”
can at the moment talk about long-term strategic issues that require a
political consensus, adding that the president only wanted to warn that
the situation was getting worse with every day without a new government.

Nikolić told reporters on Tuesday that Serbia needed a
consensus on Kosovo which meant a common position on the level of the
authority of the interim institutions in Kosovo and the lines that the
state needed to stand behind.

He pointed out that the
government and the opposition needed to reach a consensus on “what
Kosovo is” and on the country’s attitude toward it.

Kosovo
Albanian political analyst Azem Vllasi told Danas that Belgrade
politicians, including Nikolić, had started to “realize the need that
they should prepare Serbia for recognition and acceptance of the new
reality regarding Kosovo” after Serbia got the EU candidate status.

“It is Nikolić’s duty right now to realize the reality and free Serbia
from the burden of Kosovo. I see his statements on the necessary
consensus on Kosovo in Serbia as positive,” he explained.

On
the other hand, he believes that the Serbian president’s statement that
“Kosovo president will also never be president in Kosovska Mitrovica” is
“completely off mark”.

“Mitrovica is Kosovo’s local
self-government. The Serbian president should not give statements that
hide territorial pretenses because the issue of borders has been
resolved and nobody in the Balkans can play with the opening of the
subject,” Vllasi was quoted as saying.

Socialist Party of
Serbia (SPS) provincial official Zvonimir Stević said that he expected
the “new state structures, parliament, the president and the government
to seriously deal with a plan and a strategy for Kosovo”.

He
pointed out that Belgrade “needs to tell Serbs in the entire Kosovo,
both south and north of the Ibar River, what they should expect in the
future”.

Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Main Board member and
MP Marko Jakšić says he finds the president’s statement “very strange”
bearing in mind that he as a Serb Radical Party (SRS) deputy leader at a
rally in 2008 swore that he “will not rest until he gets Kosovo back to
Serbia”.

Analyst Ognjen Pribićević says that the statement
does not represent anything new when compared to the policy of the
previous government, adding that the West will go much further in their
requests.

“The Western countries will certainly request from
the new government to stop financing the institutions in northern Kosovo
and Metohija, meaning they will expect (Ivica) Dačić’s cabinet to be
much more constructive than (PM Mirko) Cvetković’s. Otherwise, we cannot
hope for the financial aid from the West, that denied the money to the
outgoing government,” he explained.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Albanian Police forces enters in Lazarat through bullets
10/07/2012

More than 5000 plants of cannabis sativa were eliminated recently in Lazarat, thanks to an action of the police.

Gjirokaster Police sources
say that in this operation participated the RENEA forces, the Rapid
Intervention Forces, the Delta Forces and agents from the Gjirokaster
Police, led by the Vice Chief of State Police, Muhamet Rrumbullaku.
According to these sources, the police entered from the Sopot Mountain,
not the main road.

After eliminating the first cannabis sativa
plants, some Lazarat residents have opened fire against the police. The
authorities appealed the rest of the village to distance themselves from
this people, making it clear that they would respond with fire to any
individual that would oppose this operation.

As result, the
police arrested 15 workers that were watering the parcels, seized three
trucks, two water mobile tanks, two vehicles from where the aggressors
shot the police and two vans with 2000 seedlings in plastic vases, which
were ready to be planted. After the operation, the police left Lazarat
from the Sopot Mountain road.

The police declared that the operation will be completed, regardless of what happened.

The action against the cannabis in Lazarat started on June, followed by the arrest of some residents.

Burgaj: Police will not back off

“The
state police appeals the Lazarat residents to distance themselves from
some elements with criminal precedents who opposed the police with
firearms, because the police will respond with the strength of law to
everyone that gets involved in similar acts. War against the cultivation
of narcotic plants remains one of the biggest priorities for the
elimination of narcotic plants, not only in Lazarat but through the
entire country”, declared the Director of the General State Police,
Hysni Burgaj.

Allen & Co.'s Sun Valley conference to focus on foreign affairs

Looks like the media and tech
moguls attending investment bank Allen & Co.'s conference in Sun
Valley, Idaho, this week will be spending much of their time learning
about foreign affairs.
The closely guarded agenda for the annual
gathering features several panels aimed at bringing the captains of
industry up to speed on current events across the globe.

On Wednesday, a panel on Iran and Israel features Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. On Thursday, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw will moderate a panel focusing on China that will feature Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive of Coca-Cola Co. On Friday, Charlie Rose will interview Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.

There will also be plenty of politics. On Thursday, former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson, who together co-chaired President Obama's
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, will lead a
discussion on the economy. Friday will have "Good Morning America"
anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The conference will close Saturday with former CIA Director George Tenet chatting with current director David Petraeus. Also, Oprah Winfrey will interview Warren Buffet.

Greece Still the Most Popular Destination for Serbs

Greece
is still the most popular summer destination and approximately 60
percent of tourists from Serbia are expected to spend their summer
vacation here, Zoran Arsenovic, president of the Management Board of the
National Association of Tourist Agencies (YUTA) said.
Arsenovic added that tourists agencies were satisfied with sales of
summer packages and that they expected more business this year.
Besides Greece, he said, Serbian tourists often opt to spend their
summer vacations in Turkey, where approximately 15 percent of citizens
go on holiday according to YUTA, followed by Egypt and Tunisia with 10
percent each and then Spain and Italy, where five percent of tourists
have decided to go.(source: ANSA)

Cyprus still ‘top priority’ for Athens

The
Cyprus problem remains Greece’s “top foreign policy priority,” Foreign
Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Sunday, arriving on the divided
island on the day the Republic of Cyprus assumed the rotating presidency
of the European Union.

Avramopoulos, who met with his
counterpart Erato Kozakou-Markoulli, told reporters at Larnaca airport
that he was maintaining the position of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras
in his stance toward Cyprus.

The government in Nicosia has its work
cut out for it by undertaking the EU’s presidency as negotiations
continue for a foreign bailout package to prop up its banks and economy.
President Dimitris Christofias told state television NET on Saturday
that Cyprus would seek rescue funding from the EU but stopped short of
giving a figure. It was unclear whether Nicosia would seek additional
funding from other nations. Deputy Minister for European Affairs Andreas
Mavroyiannis told Cyprus Mail that Nicosia was facing “one of its
biggest challenges as an EU member state, but also as a state,” and
compared the EU presidency to a “maturity test” for the country.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Russia and Israel became the latest powers after NATOs naval deployments in the eastern Mediterranean Sea last week amid the continuing crisis over last months downing of a Turkish jet by the Syrian forces, with Moscow upping the ante by announcing the deployment of a destroyer to the region.Russia has sent a naval flotilla of six warships, led by an anti-submarine destroyer, to its naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, while Israel is separately preparing to boost the strength of its naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean in order to protect the countrys energy investments there, Israeli media reported.

Russia has also dispatched the destroyer-class warship Smetlivy, which patroled the waters off the coast of Syria in April and May, to Syria. The ship was seen leaving the Black Sea port of Sevastopol yesterday morning. The Smetlivy is leaving for Syria today. ... The vessel is expected to reach the Turkish straits tomorrow morning, the Navy source said on condition of anonymity.

The Admiral Chabanenko and three landing craft have left their home port of Severomorsk in the Arctic Circle on their way to the Mediterranean, where they will be joined by the Russian patrol ship Yaroslav Mudry as well as an assistance vessel, a source told Interfax agency.

Separately, four Russian warships passed the Dardanelles and sailed into the Aegean Sea yesterday, according to Doan news agency. Turkish coastguard boats accompanied the four vessels, the Nikolai Filchenkov, the Caesar Kunikov, Caktarz and the SB-5, the report said. The program of the voyage includes a call in the Syrian port of Tartus, the unnamed source told the news agency in reference to the Chabanenko and accompanying vessels.

The source said the trip was being conducted in line with plans to ensure the Russian fleets military readiness. According to Interfax, the source insisted that the deployment was not linked to the escalation of the situation in Syria.

Interfax quoted a military source as saying the ships were carrying marines on a training mission as well as food, water and fuel for Russias naval maintenance and repair base in Syrias Mediterranean port of Tartus.

$1 billion plan

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of General Staff Gen. Benny Gantz have proposed a plan to increase the number of vessels and soldiers in the area. The plan seeks to add four new warships to the Israeli Navy while also deploying more troops in the area and utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles for patrol duties.

The $1 billion plan reportedly aims to protect Israels off-shore natural gas platforms in the eastern Mediterranean from terrorist attacks. Israel is currently running a limited patrol duty with five warships.

The burden on the Navy is likely to increase when the platforms start to pump natural gas in 2012. Joint gas exploration by Israel and Greek Cyprus has raised tensions between Turkey and the two countries. Ankara responded to the exploration by sending warships and a gas exploration vessel of its own, straining ties even further.

The moves came after a key NATO maritime group began flexing its muscles in the Mediterranean as it set off from Istanbul last week with a mission to combat terrorism in the sea. The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 will conduct its mission in the eastern Mediterranean at a time of increased tensions in the area.

Russian naval task force to Syria

Related topics

Russia has deployed several warships to Syria
from Black Sea and Arctic naval bases. Though Russia claims these are
scheduled exercises, it is more likely a show of support for President
Basher Assad’s
regime, a deterrent to any Turkish or NATO action and/or a task force
to evacuate Russian military and civilian personnel should Assad’s
regime collapse.From the Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol
the Russian destroyer ‘Smetlivy’, will transit the Turkish Straits
before entering the Aegean Sea en route to Syria. Turkey’s coast guard
has also confirmed passage yesterday of the Russian amphibious assault
ships ‘Nikolai Filchenkov’, ‘Caesar Kunikov’ and 2 smaller vessels. The
passage of all nations warships through the Turkish Straits up to a
certain size is in accordance with the 1936 Montreux Convention. Turkey
is obligated to let them pass.

From the Arctic naval base at Severomorsk
the Russian destroyer ‘Admiral Chabanenko’ along with the amphibious
assault ships ‘Alexander Otravsky’, ‘Kondopoga’ and ‘Saint George’ set
sail for Syria. These ships will rendezvous with the Russian frigate
‘Yaroslav Mudry’ and a fleet tug before continuing on to Syria.
The Russian destroyers and frigate provide anti-surface, anti-air and
anti-submarine capabilities. However, the amphibious assault ships
provide the answer to the intent of this naval deployment. If the ships
are mostly empty with a light ground assault force, then Russia is
anticipating having to evacuate Syria. If however, the ships arrive
loaded with Russian troops, then Putin obviously intends to hold a presence in Syria and or directly assist Assad.
One hint may be that Russia has canceled the sale of Yak-130 ground attack planes and other arms sales to Syria have been cancelled
after canceling the sale of S-300 surface to air missiles (SAM) last
month. These cancellations are likely not a coincidence. Putin or his
generals may be concerned the aircraft and missiles would fall into
rebel hands, or the need for them would be nullified by the presence of
actual Russian forces in Syria.
The deployment comes on the heels of a large Syrian naval exercise
with the aim of training to deter a seaborne assault, an obvious
‘message’ to NATO specifically to Turkey. Though there was no parallel
ground force exercise.
Were NATO to intervene in Syria, there would be no need to do so via
an amphibious assault on the Syrian coast. It is more likely the
intervention would come directly out of Turkey with possible deployment
of a NATO force in Lebanon to deter incursions by the Syrian Army or the
rebels. Lebanon has already deployed troops to the border
in response to incidents of Syrian rebels using Lebanese territory as a
passage followed by Syrian artillery barrages reaching as far as 12
miles into Lebanon and causing several deaths of Lebanese.
On the diplomatic side, Turkey has offered to compare data with Syria on the shoot down of a Turkish RF-4E last month. Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan is also to make a one day visit to Moscow next week and meet with President Putin to discuss Syria and the shoot down of the RF-4E. UN & Arab League Special envoy Kofi Annan has already traveled to Syria and met with President Assad.
Annan described the talks as constructive and that he is in agreement
with Assad on a new 'approach' which he will propose when he meets with
Syrian opposition leaders. However, Mr. Annan has acknowledged that his
peace initiative has thus far failed. The deployment of Russian ships to
Syria would seem to suggest that this last effort may also have failed.

The German Ambassador in Albania, Carola Muller Holtkemper has visited today the
town of Bulqize. Accompanied by MP Qemal Minxhozi, she met the miners
and the Miniers’ Union at the Bulqize Mine, and was updated with the
respective problematic.

The Ambassador expressed her
readiness to support the miners and offered German companies to manage
the mine. The head of the miners’ syndicate, Kujtim Alli, updated the
ambassador with the situation.

He said that the main problem is
the lack of the investments that were foreseen with the ACR Company
agreement. If the investments will not be realized in four years, it
will close.

The Union member asked the ambassador for support and
intervention to resolve this situation, so that the investments in this
mine can start urgently.

The German Ambassador declared that many German companies have offered to operate with projects in the Bulqize mine.

The opposition has increased its suspicions against the Minister of
Defense, Arben Imami, by launching accusations even more severe than the
arms trafficking.

After the Socialist MPs were
not allowed to perform an inspection at this Ministry, the Socialist
leader, Edi Rama, declared that the opposition knows very well what
Minister Imami is trying to hide, and that the arms trafficking that was
discovered lately is only the tip of the iceberg of the corruption and
flagrant constitutional violations.

“We have reliable information
from the Ministry of Defense that the newly discovered arms traffic is
only the tip of the iceberg of an illegal activity that extends even to
the usage of the army to spy on the opposition for political reasons.
So, the immunity cannot defend the opposition from illegal
interceptions. I guarantee the violators that they will respond”, Rama
declared.

Before Rama reported the affair of the Ministry of
Defense, the Socialists were not allowed to enter the Ministry of
Defense for an inspection from the Parliamentary Commission of Security.
The vice chairman of this commission, the Socialist MP Ilir Gjoni,
considered the Ministry’s decision as a constitutional coup.

“We
faced a flagrant violation of the constitution, which I would call a
Constitutional coup. It is regrettable that this Minister, who was among
the people who planned the Constitution, infringes it in the most
severe way. In these 20 years, the Parliamentary Commission of Security
has never had a similar case. I have worked with Mr. Imami and I used to
have another impression about him”, Ilir Gjoni declared.

The
ministry answered to the accusations through their General Secretary,
claiming that the Socialists had no clear agenda for the inspection.

“Their
claim that they have a regular inspection permit does not stand. I have
to clarify that the Ministry of Defense answers to the Constitution and
the law of the Albanian Republic. The MPs did not present their request
according to the Parliamentary procedures’, declared Ervin Kulluri,
General Secretary of the Ministry of Defense.

A few minutes after
this rejection, other members of the opposition accused the Minister of
trying to hide documentation, to the point of saying that Imami has
lied the Commission in the previous hearing session. But the majority
MPs proposed an inspection at the Parliament’s office, rather than at
the Ministry, where the Ministry will provide any documentation that
will be required.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Greeces new government has said Athens should remain committed to maintaining cooperation with Turkey but urged Ankara to drop its threat of war in long-running Aegean disputes between the two neighbors, saying it is an obstacle for the improvement of ties.

Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, in a policy speech in parliament on Saturday, also claimed that Turkey is bound by terms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which regulates how countries should use oceans and seas and the resources they contain -- even though Ankara refuses to sign it.

Turkey refuses to sign the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea out of concerns about its implications for its territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean. The convention, which was concluded in 1982 and came into force in 1994, recognizes nations rights to extend their territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) and their exclusive economic zone up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the baseline. The implementation of these norms is tricky in the Aegean due to special geographical properties of the area.

Ankara strongly rejects any Greek attempts to extend its territorial waters from the current six nautical miles to 12. Tensions peaked in the 1990s when Greece ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. As a measure to counter any Greek declaration that its territorial waters extend up to 12 nautical miles, the Turkish Parliament officially declared that any Greek unilateral attempt will be considered a casus belli, a reason to declare war.

Turkey and Greece are also at odds over the delimitation of the exclusive economic zones due to a dispute over to what extent the Greek islands off the Turkish coast should be taken into consideration while determining the borders of the Turkish and Greek exclusive economic zones.

Turkey argues that distances should be measured from the continental mainland, while Greece claims that all islands must be taken into account on an equal basis.

Avramopoulos said in his speech that countries that are not parties to the UN convention are also obliged to follow its norms and announced that Athens will also raise the issue within the EU, which Turkey aspires to join.

Turkey says it is not bound by the UN convention since it has never signed it, while Greece defends the right to extend territorial waters to 12 nautical miles is not only treaty law but also customary law.

Turkish and Greek diplomats have been holding closed-door talks for years to resolve the issue but no progress has been reported so far. Avramopoulos said Turkey should realize that it cannot keep the threat of war alive while talks meant to sort out the disputes are under way and while the two countries keep having high-level cooperation meetings.

He said he has already let his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutolu, know of his governments expectation when the two met on the sidelines of a Black Sea regional meeting last month.

Whether Avramopoulos statements can revive tensions between the two neighbors remains a question. Commenting on the Greek foreign ministers remarks, a Turkish official said they are mere repetition of Greeces well-known stance.

On other issues of dispute, Avramopoulos said his government will continue to press Turkey to re-open Halki Greek Orthodox seminary, in an island off stanbul, and to improve the rights and status of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in stanbul. He said the status of the Patriarchate is not a matter of reciprocity that should be handled as part of a package that commits Greece to improve the countrys Muslim Turkish minority.

Avramopoulos also said the Greek Foreign Ministry was working on a new foreign policy doctrine that will dispense with a belief that every development in the world should be seen as a threat to Greeces security, something, he said, that pushes Greece into isolation.

President discusses Tadić's gesture, new govt., Kosovo

BELGRADE -- President Tomislav Nikolić says Boris
Tadić told him he would travel to the Croatia Summit - but not that he
intended to shake hands with Hashim Thaci.

Nikolić arrives at the Patriarchate building (Tanjug)

Democratic
Party (DS) leader Tadić was Serbia's president for two terms since
2004. He was defeated by Nikolić in the May 20 presidential runoff.
Commenting on Tadić's gesture, Nikolić stressed that he himself "would not shake hands with Thaci".

Speaking after his meeting with Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch
Irinej in Belgrade on Monday, the president stated that he would not
have recommended to Tadić to engage in the handshake, considering Thaci
is a person suspected of committing very serious crimes:

"That's some kind of personal gesture of his (Tadić's), I spoke about
that today with the (U.S.) State Department representative, and told him
I do not know what Mr. Tadić wished to achieve by that, except perhaps
to demonstrate that he was invited to where I cannot go. However,
there's something I cannot do that he apparently can: I cannot shake
hands with a person that they say committed crimes against Serbs, not
before it has been determined whether he had."

Nikolić also
emphasized that Tadić as a citizen has a right to go where he wishes,
but noted that the leader of the Democrats was behind the policy that
states that Serbian officials should not attend gatherings attended by
those from Priština.

"I think we can town down passions in
Serbia. I spoke to His Holiness (Irinej) about Kosovo and told him that
we need some type of consensus, while he said that the Church would
never shy away from taking the responsibility,," Nikolić said, and added
that by "consensus", he meant "above all agreement of parliamentary
parties about the solution to the problem of Kosovo".

"Government needed urgently to deal with economy"

Tomislav
Nikolić on Monday urged for forming the government as soon as possible
to enable the country to deal with its accumulated economic problems.

"I hope we will have the government formed soon. I do not know what it
will look like, but I know that the situation is a dire one and that it
was high time we addressed the economic issues that nobody seems to care
about anymore," Nikolić told reporters after meeting with Serbian
Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej.

He said he had discussed the
government forming issue with U.S. State Secretary Assistant Philip
Gordon earlier today. He added that they had also touched on the
situation in Kosovo, Serbia's European path and the way the U.S. could
help Serbia's citizens live better.

Nikolić said they had had a
fair exchange of opinions, during which the U.S. Department of State
official had presented his own policy, as well as the powers and
obligations he had under the Constitution.

Asked about what
stance the future government would take regarding Vuk Jeremić's
Chairmanship-in-Office of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),
Nikolić said he did not want to interfere with any of the Democratic
Party's (DS) internal issues, but the new government would certainly
have to adopt an opinion concerning the issue in question.

"Someone should submit a report to us about the projected expenses so
that we could see if we have enough money for that or not, and if we do
not have the money, we should apologize to the UNGA and ask them to
select someone else to chair it," said the Serbian president.

"I would agree to talks with Jahjaga"

Tomislav
Nikolić also stated on Monday that he would agree to talks with Kosovo
President Atifete Jahjaga, but during a formal meeting and not
informally.

In response to reporters' question as to whether he
would conduct talks with Jahjaga, Nikolić said that he does not see any
reason why he would not confer with Pristina's representatives if the
time comes for such talks.

"We need to decide whether we would
keep walking out on meetings or whether we would fight for our stands,",
Nikolić said and added that he supports Serbia's attendance at the
meetings where its stands ought to be heard.

According to him,
"a joint interpretation" of the agreements from Brussels need to be
adopted so that it would be clear whether the Belgrade government agreed
for the Priština interim institutions to be present at international
forums at the same time as Serbia's representatives.

Jahjaga
stated on Sunday that she is willing to conduct talks with the Serbian
president and added that only Nikolić and herself, "as legal and
legitimate heads of state", can conduct talks during which they would
present the will of the people.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians
unilaterally declared independence over four years ago, but Serbia
rejected the proclamation as illegal.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Cypriot FM to visit Belgrade on Wednesday

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato
Kozakou-Marcoullis is scheduled to will visit Belgrade on Wednesday,
according to reports.

Cyprus took over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU on July 1.
This
will be the foreign minister's first trip abroad since Cyprus took over
the presidency, Belgrade daily Večerenje Novosti learned from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia.

Cyprus and Serbia have
good relations and the government in Nicosia will do everything in its
power to support your country on its path to the EU, the Belgrade-based
daily was told.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

US Urges Albania to Heed EU Recommendations for Improvement

Posted Friday, June 29th, 2012 at 8:00 pm

A senior U.S. official has urged Albania to heed European Union
recommendations on the improvements needed to be in place in the Balkan
country before it can start negotiations for a membership in the
regional bloc.
Philip Reeker, deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and
Eurasia, has told the VOA Albanian Service that the window of
opportunity is rapidly closing as the European Commission will soon
start preparing a new assessment on Tirana's readiness to start European
Union accession talks.
He said Albanian politicians have lost some time focusing on recent elections, but that they need to make up for that now.
“”They've lost some time, but they need to focus on important
recommendations. There are 12 key recommendations that the European
Union provided over a year ago. It is time to work on that because the
window is rapidly closing. The European commission will soon set to work
on its annual report — the status report — and so there is an
opportunity now to make some real progress, particularly in three key
areas: parliamentary reform, electoral reform and lifting of
immunities.”
Reeker said Albanian politicians of all parties must be aware that
the reforms are needed as soon as possible, ideally before the August
recess.
Reeker congratulated President-elect Bujar Nishani on his June 11
election victory, but added that the wisdom of democracy is the wisdom
of compromise, which he said the European Union will expect from
Albania.
The European Union demands that the Balkan country improve its
economy, end long-standing political factionalism and fight organized
crime and corruption before it can become a candidate for membership of
the 27-nation bloc.

French president plans new genocide law

Source: BBC

PARIS -- French President Francois Hollande has said
he plans a new law to punish denial that the 1915-16 killing of
Armenians was genocide.

Francois Hollande (Beta, file)

A
previous law approved by the French parliament was struck down in
February by the Constitutional Council, which said it infringed freedom
of speech.
Turkey rejects the term "genocide" for the deaths of Armenians during their deportation by the Ottoman Empire.

The issue has strained Franco-Turkish relations in recent years.

Hollande's predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy had also ordered his government to draft a new law after the old one was struck down.

"Francois Hollande has again expressed his willingness to propose a
bill designed to curb the denial of the Armenian genocide, as he had
said during his campaign and even before," the Coordinating Council of
Armenian Organisations of France (CCAF) told the AFP news agency.

A delegation from the CCAF will meet Hollande before the end of the
month to discuss what form the new law would take, French media reports
say.

On Thursday, remarks by French Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart appeared to
indicate that the Constitutional Council's ruling would make it
impossible to take up the issue again.

However, Hollande's office said on Saturday: "The president expressed his commitments during the campaign. He will keep them.”

"We must find a path, a road that allows for a text that is consistent with the constitution," the French president said.

The Panepirotic Federation of America vehemently condemns the brutal destruction by Albanian authorities on August 26 of a Greek Orthodox Church in the Chimara region of the former Communist nation that once prohibited all forms of religious worship. The Church of St. Athanasius in the town of Drymades, known in Albanian as Dhermi, was completely destroyed by government agents acting on the authority of Albania’s Interior Ministry.

Petitioning European Council

The land in Himara belongs to the people of Himara! Land and property registration NOW! Signe now this petition to the European Councile, for the registration of properties to the only and single eligible owner: the PEOPLE of Himara.

Himara Community of USA, Addresses Himarra Property Issues with US State Department / Ambassador

The Honorable John F. Kerry Secretary of State U.S. Department of State Dear Mr. Secretary: We are writing to inform you of issues affecting United States citizens who have vested interests in the municipality of Himarra, Albania, and to express our concern about their long outstanding and unresolved problems regarding property rights. Over 1500 US citizens of Himarrioton descent are disenfranchised of their rights to the ownership of their family properties which were confiscated in 1945 by the communist regime. They have been attempting to claim their family properties since the end of the communist period without success due to the laws and policies of the Albanian government which a) fail to address ownership rights of pre-1945 landowners, b) fail to address the rights of owners who were forced to emigrate to the United States for economic or political reasons, and c) fail to address the rights of those with dual citizenship who have attempted to claim their properties as Albanian citizens.

Opinion - Kisha Autoqefale dhe Greqia! (14 tetor 2013)

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Officially: Omonoia, In Albania over 300.000 Greeks declared

30 % or 86,000, are declared electronically and this process includes 85 % of the members of the Greek minority Vlora Prefecture is the mostly populated by Greeks, there are about 90. 000 Greeks. TIRANA - Democratic Union of the Greek Ethnic Minority, Omonoia publishes the results of the census of members of the Ethnic Greek Community, organized by it structures. The Prime Census, was the decision of the General Council of the organization as members argued for exclusion of the Greek minority in the months Census October 2011, organized by the Institute of Statistics .

The history of elections of the Albanian dictator, to terrorize the people of Himara

A special Edition by SManalysis December 2, 1945: The Himariotes, abstaining from communist referendum, as happens usually for Himara the Albanian historians, never wrote this tragic history. Nikos Koutoulas, who boldly told the special communist court: "I'm Greek . I do not know Albanian, get me a interpret!" Still now, Albania never hold free politic elections, including Himara Municipality

Albanian Writer Raises Storm in Kosovo

Kosovo officials have rounded on Albanian writer Fatos Lubonja for saying that the political elites in both countries turned a blind eye to the crimes of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA. Besar Likmeta BIRN Tirana Albanian writer Fatos Lubonja In the article published in the May edition of the magazine Sudosteuropa, Lubonja focused on the reaction of Albania’s political class to the acquittal of the former KLA commander and Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj by the Hague Tribunal. Lubonja wrote that following Haradinaj’s release, the elite in Pristina and Tirana celebrated him as a hero, despite having enough information that the charges brought by prosecutors in the Hague were correct.

As long as human rights and civil liberties are violated in Himara Region primarily property, Greec

Himara Associations: Athens to block the status of Albania, if Tirana, does not solve the property issue Two associations based in Himara, "The Himara Community" and "Sea Coastal Association" have asked in a statement distributed to the media this afternoon that Greece "should block the candidate status for Albania" if Tirana, will not solve the problems of Human Rights and particularly the issue of the properties in Himara Region. The statement takes into consideration the visit Tirana following day of E.Venizelos the Greek Deputy Prime Minister also heads the Presidency of the European :

Albania minorities object to territorial division

Albania's civil society is calling on officials to diffuse tensions and protect minorities from discrimination and potential violence as a result of the decision to scrap the existing municipalities and create a new territorial administration. The government reduced the 384 local government units to 65, effectively creating entirely Albanian-majority municipalities. Greek, Macedonian and other minority representatives said the government's move violates their rights and international norms.

Poll: Albania, the most racist country in Europe

An international survey data from the World Value Survey collected and processed by the Washington Post reveals that Albania is the most racist country in Europe and worldwide more racists. The survey attempts to make a connection between economic development and being tolerant inside a society with ethnic crashes.. Thus, the most tolerant countries in the world are the Nordic countries, Great Britain and some of its former colonies, the United States, Canada and Australia. Countries with high tolerance are also in Latin America, where Venezuela exception.

Fatos Lobonja: Albania needs formatting not to rebirth

Fatos Lobonja, in an interview for the program "PULS" the KohaVision in Kosovo, there appeared criticism of developments in Albania. According Lubonja Albanians as a society still can not be consolidated. The reasons, according to him, are corrupt Albanian political elites on all sides, inside and abroad. He said they did not thirst for power leaves organize and move forward. Edi Rama's arrival at the head of government, according Lubonja, will not change the image of Albania, because Rama is associated with the oligarchs and organized crime. " He should answer that elite and non-citizens of Albania ", Lobonja estimates.

Nicholas Gage: Athens to give soon the Greek citizenship for thousand north epiriotes

World Council delegation of Epirus Abroad, meeting with the Ministry of Interior for the vote of northern epiriotes and the resolve the pension problem The visit of Nicholas Gage, is considering as the latest diplomatic effort of USA lobbing, for implementation of the "Protocol of Corfu" agreement, between Albania and Greece, based on the ulterior escalation in Balkan region. The Delegation of the World Council of Foreign Relation of Epirus (PSIE) headed by the Honorary President Nicolas Gkatzogianni, had a working meeting with the Greek Interior minister Stylianidis and v/ minister Syrigos.

Himariotes, lobbying in USA, for Autonomy

A group of people of Himara, with American citizenship, are lobbying to the US Congress and the State Department, that the Himara Region, receive the right for autonomy, according to international historical right to his self-determination. Proposed to merge all associations operating in USA, Greece and Albania, to be united in a single purpose: Autonomous Himara, Movements in the Balkans geopolitical, Mitrovica case, cutting pension from Greece, scarce public investment, robbery and illegal registration of property, etc., have raised a great concern, as never in the recent relationship of Himara, Albanian and Greek state relationship.

Pyrros Dimas, meeting with the Greek Minister of Labour, for problem of pensions to the Northern Ep

- Initiative of MP of PASOK, Pyrros Dimas for preparing and drafting a legislative proposal in collaboration with representatives of the Northern Epirus organizations. - The Minister agreed on the need to find a solution and urged the Member to develop concrete proposals, and that after consultation with the Secretary of the New Republic, Manolis Kefaloyiannis will be submitted jointly to the Minister of Finance.

"Kakome Case" again to the Albanian Tribunals

The Greek Community continues to "constant war" with the Albanian government to protect property. The apathy of Athens, to respond to the robbery of the properties in just the time, that OSCE, under the process of the registration of property in Ionian Coast, from European taxpayers, without any trasparence, is favoring according to Albanian law, alienation of property, of the Greek community , with the false documents.

Berisha: albanophobia threatens inter region

Berisha: "We must accept that they are the only people who live in 5 states. A nation that is unjustly divided into 5 states, a nation that wants to look to a common future. But again albanophobia is still in action " Albanian Prime Minister for the second time, threatening Greece, claiming that Albanians in Greece, should join the Albanian state.

NORTHERN EPIRUS THROUGH THE CENTURIES(LECTURE OF VASILIOS KYRANIS, Harvard University -1981) AL

Christos Pappas, in an interview with Arthur Zhei, News 24 TV

Pappas: "Northern Epirus is a region that holds arbitrary from Albania, as recognized by the great powers, the Protocol of Corfu. The Law of War against Albania, can not remove from Papoulias nor Greek parliament, but the Greek army is ready to liberate the Northern Epirus, again

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After a life threatening message to Archbishop Janullatos

42 Orthodox clergy against census and Red & Black Alliance: Janullatos has not afraid of death 42 Tirana archdiocese Orthodox clergy have reacted with a joint statement in defense of Anastasios Yannoulatos. Their attitude comes after strong reactions against the Red & Black Alliance, for Archbishop and after a census that sees Orthodox in third place in terms of religion in the country.

Albania: 100 years, Berisha plays 'great Albania' trump card

In Tirana Albanian leaders, tensions with Macedonia 28 November, 10:49 (ANSAmed) - TIRANA, NOVEMBER 28 - Albania's black and red national flag with a double-headed eagle is waving across the country which is celebrating today its 100th anniversary of independence in a tense political climate. The centre-right Premier Sali Berisha has been calling for days for an ethnic-national unification of all Albanians living in different Balkan states, in efforts to revive a strong nationalism which is rejected by Albania's opposition.

The Official Site of The Himara Community

CONTINUES THE DEBATE IN WASHINGTON D.C. FOR THE PROPERTY RIGHTS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS FROM NORTHERN

According to the Greek organisation of Albania estimates there are thousands of Greek American citizens from Northern Epirus (Southern Albania) which is refering the Journalist Lambros Papantoniou, asking the Spokesman of State Department for the rights of American citizens with Greek origin to take their properties in Southern Albania. Papantoniou is refereeing a Memo between Albanian State and USA about the civil rights especially for the properties of American citizens who are interested to take them according to Albanian Constitution and laws the properties of family generation. This is the second debate of the veteran Journalist for Balkan Issues in State Department Lambros Papantoiou who accuses over all the Sali Berisha Regim in Albania supported by the President Bush.

A Response to AFP

SManalysis Orthodox churches of Albania, are Byzantine churches, belong to the property of the population of Epirus.....

Avramopoulos`s speach during NATO meeting

Greece threatens Albania blocking the integration process after Berisha's statements Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, has expressed his concern at the NATO ministerial meeting about rising tide of nationalism in Albania and premature declarations of the government. In a press release the Greek Foreign Ministry said that "the growth of nationalism and populism in some of our neighboring countries is a source of great concern."

The U.S. talk of "change of borders in the Balkans"

Message-warning sent to Albania by the U.S. representative to the State Department, which in a statement said that any change of borders in the Balkans "would be counterproductive and destabilizing," but the issue is that for the first time put the U.S. even and negative mood on any change of borders in the Balkans ...

INUK në Vlorë, pronarët: Me dokumenta të rregullta dhe leje ndërtimi

ENIKOS.GR

GREEK NEWS FROM NIKO`S BLOG

PREMIUM, THE GREEK TRASFORMATION

The "Kissinger Plan": Confederations Macedonia, Epirus, Thrache,

THE BIG CHANGE IN PERIVOLO, DRYMADES, HIMARA REGION

Dhermi, (Drymades, Himara Region) between natural beauty and destruction Look at those videos, before in 2010, everything natural and in 2012 the differences, the big changes how are divided Mafia plots, see whose investments are shown, with the camera of a sportsman parachute, in Long Beach "Perivolo" in Dhrymades, the Himara Region. Look at how this summer 2012, the Concessions of Mafia provided by The Himara Counsil Municipality and the Government of Albania, have become a reality. The Sand Beach Drymades, is transformed in the sidewalks and kiosks. See how they are transformed Dhermi, in a few years, in an administrative center, disrupting also balance the religious and ethnic composition of himariotes.

Robert Elsie: If I would live in Albania, it would be crazy. It is the same as in Ottoman times

After known albanolog Milan Shufla, Robert Elsie is the best conteproranean albanian albanolog in the World During his intereweu on "Top Channely TV, Robert Elsie, on his first interview on TV. expresed his story about Albanian and Albanian state in 100 years. An interesting tale scholar known for his work difficulties in view of the Albanian language. Elsie, who knows Albanians for years, amounts to a chilling conclusion. He says he will not ever live in Albania, as it will go mad. "I can not live here. It's a little wild for me, the relationships between people are a bit wild. I know that is just a facade that inside have good spirit, but have a rabies in human relations. You know how to protect yourself here, and here I am like a rabbit, he can not defend myself. I come here with pleasure, but do not believe they can afford to come and live here forever. There is much frustration of everyday life. Life is too short and I do not have time to bump into obstacles, only to achieve something, when in another country and get away and then live my life, "said Elsie to Albanian. And while Enver Hoxha's Albania as compared with that of Sali Berisha, adds: "There is something that depends only on the party, it's more the attitude of the people. So to get something going, you have to know someone in the Ministry, to drink coffee with, then drink coffee again next week with even a third time, and then he connects with the person that you are interested . That is the same as in Ottoman times, not like a normal country. ".

Separatists gaining ground in Europe

Greece, is going to Plan B: grant for 600 thousand Greek citizenship, at the Consulates

Failure of the Census in Albania, apparently, has forced Athens, put in place, going to Plan B to its foreign policy, grant citizenship to all Hellenic Community of Northern Epirus (Greek passports) through three Greek consulates in Albania. According to “The Albanian newspaper Gazeta Shqiptare”, in a statement issued by the Greek Consul in Argjirokaster, Nikolaos Kotroxois, will begin soon, giving the Greek passports to Albanian citizens of Greek descent, who have applied for years. The decision is taken, after Athens, has used all diplomatic sources to have to Tirana, the same wavelength, particularly in geopolitical matters, particularly Kosovo. In his statement, the Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas, noted, that Tirana, continues to show towards Greece, feeling not sincere cooperation, while simultaneously calling for the right to self-determination of the Greek community in Albania.

BERISHA: GREATER ALBANIA, WE LOST TERRITORIES

he Albanian Prime Minister held a meeting with Prishtina University students, in which he argued why he is against the unification of Albania with Kosovo and why both countries would lose, if borders would be changed. “The vital interest of the Albanians is to preserve the current borders, and the Albanians should not accept, at any cost, to lose a single square meter of the land they are entitled to. Another redraw of the borders would mark undeserved losses of the Albanian territories. We must be patient, free, and should not undertake any action that threatens territorial losses. Every generation has to make its duty, and this generation made it”, Berisha declared.

Dimas:"The Greek ethnic Community in Albania has the right of free of charge self-determination"

The reliability of the results of population census in Albania, in terms of minority groups, directly challenging the foreign minister Stavros Dimas, diaminyontas same time that the Respect for human and minority rights is … crucial criterion for the progress of the accession method of our neighbor. In a letter sent to the Home in response to a question from a Member of LA.OS K. Aivaliotis, Dimas says that “the foreign ministry has closely followed all the developments surrounding the census in Albania, even though produced timely plays, both bilateral and European level to make sure the integrity process and unimpeded registration of members of the Greek National Minority, and each location of residence of such ». As outlined, the “Selection of the representatives of the main minority groups, including the Greek National Minority, invite their members to abstain in protest not guaranteed to respect the right of free of charge self-determination, showed a significant deficit of trust minority in the Albanian state, which ought to itself the Albanian government to address priority ».

The Constitutional Court Decision on December 1, the Latter abolished the term Ethnic certificate of Its Citizens. In the Decision, panels argues why the notion of "nationality" is incompatible with the constitution When Its state charter law does not provid a clear definition of Its meaning. In Assessing the Court, "nationality" as defined concept without, unlike Other components of civil law does not Create a link that 'translates the Mutual rights and duties of Natural Persons and state.

While the total population in Himara Municipality, does not exceed 12 thousand inhabitants, a source from the prosecution of Vlora, shows that the problems of ownership at the squirrels region have reached the 7500 court proceedings and special investigations, which marks a world record, by how a country like Albania, could not manage the right of ownership, in one of the areas attacked by the Albanian mafia and international. However, the U.S. Department Report for 2004 on human rights in Albania, states clearly that in the Himara Municipality, the community lands and the Orthodox Church, was robbed by a Courts with false documents, supported by the Office of Propetry Registration in Albania.

Arben Puto: Albania has declared war against Greece first

In his book "The Italian Greek War", Arben Puto, well known historian of the era of dictatorship in Albania, writes that: "In a unanimous decision of the Albanian Parliament on July 15, 1940, was ratified, the Italian Fascist royal decree, which declared all war allies France and Britain, including the USA and Greece. So need to Albanians, to be aware that Greece was not declared war Albania, but Albania, with military battalions that attacked Greece on 28 October 1940 ".

WB returns to Ionian Riviera residence reconstruction

Another World Bank project is being executed with the help of the Albanian authorities for the reconstruction of the residences in Albania’s southern coastline. The 625.000 USD project aims to protect and promote the values of the Albanian national architecture in the Southern part of the country, in order to prevent destruction and abandonment of the traditional houses. “Shqip” newspapers says that the Ministry of Public Works is the WB partner in the “Roofs and Facades” project. The implementation of the program has started in the villages classified as participators: Dhermi i Vjeter, Qeparo i Vjeter, Ilias, Vuno, Himare e Vjeter, Piqeras, Nivice and Luksht. The World Bank will finance 70% of the restauration cost, with a maximum of 7000 USD, while the program “Accommodation and Breakfast” will finance 50 of the restoration cost, with a maximum of 5,000 USD. The program “Roofs and Facades” aims to restore 72 houses in 18 months. 20 of them will adopt with the conditions of modern life, in the framework of the program “Accommodation and Breakfast”.

In Albania, at 20 years post-dictatorship, 8 thousands murders, for the issue of property

The shocking data, are given by the Prosecutor General, to the Albanian press Shocking facts which, in the wake of Albania rank Civil War, the high level of killings, including the year 1997 Through the Albanian press, Attorney General, has published shocking facts about the increasing number of murders in Albania, especially for issues of ownership. Clic on photo ....

Himara 26 centuries, a history of glorious Independence

HIMARA, THE NEXT MONTE CARLO`S IN EPIRUS

First step to Greater Albania: Kosovo Opens First Highway Section

A 38 kilometre-tranche of the road, which will eventually cross the country from the Albanian to Serbian border, was opened on Saturday. The first section, which runs from Vermica on the Albanian border to close to the town of Suhareka, cost 330 million euro. Senior Kosovo and Albania government officials were present at the inauguration ceremony. In a speech, Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga said that the "highway has the role of linking nations and countries". "It is our link with important European corridors. Our coordinated policy will make us a free and equal members of the European Union," she added. Named the "Ibrahim Rugova Highway", after Kosovo's most famous president, the road connects with Albania's first highway, which was also built by the Turkish-American consortium Bechtel-Enka.

George Goro: Registration of properties on the southern coast of Albania faces difficulties

The process of registration of property in southern coastal areas of Albania is getting quite difficult. Mayor George Himara Goro says it has so far only completed the registration of houses and land but not land. Problems with documentation and the implementation of the Land Law difficult, according to him, residents in this process.

The Monument of Independence of Albania, is in hassle

PDIU Cam Community Party, the Socialist Party's local leader in Vlora, and "Red & Black Alliance", are making a nationalistic competition, the Monument of Independence and the Albanian national flag. Few days ago, Prime Minister Sali Berisha, said the establishment of a new monument to the independence of Albania in Tirana, implying, dismiss the historical tradition of Albanian independence in Vlora.

Himarrioton Society of America

The Himarriotans of America, motivated by the love of Himarra, the land of their native origin, and dedicated to the noblest ideals of their forfathers, have established this organization which aspires to the cultivation and preservation of Himarriotic culture in America, to making a positive difference in the lives of its members, and to promoting the rights and interests of the Himarriotans in Himarra, through the realization of patriotic, charitable, philanthropic, educational and cultural endeavors.

Opinion in Kosovo: "Socialists in Albania, are filo Greek"

The Chairman of the Opposition in Albania, Edi Rama, accused by the press in Kosovo that "he is with filo Greek sentiments" If, Sali Berisha, Albania's current prime minister, is expected both in Macedonia and Kosovo, as president of the Albanian nation, this has not happened with the chairman of the opposition in Albania, Edi Rama. During a recent visit to Kosovo, Edi Rama is unpopular, the fact that the perception of public opinion in Kosovo, is that the south, is the area close to Greece, but especially Rama and the Socialist Party, was accused of holding a position filo Greek, against the interests of Greater Albania.